1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an identification tag, or more particularly, to a tag adapted to be attached to the handle or other suitable portions of handles of various articles of luggage such as valises, suitcases, handbags and the like, without requiring any additional means of connection.
2. The Prior Art
There is a recognized need for an improved means of identifying the passenger baggage which is carried by the airlines. Although this need is not confined to the air travel industry alone, the baggage problem faced by the airlines is a particularly difficult one. The passenger is necessarily separated from his heavy baggage because there is no room for it in the passenger cabin of the aircraft. Instead, heavy items must be stored below the passenger compartment, i.e., in the baggage hold of the aircraft. Then any mistake which the airline may make after taking custody of the passenger's baggage is indeed a serious one, because of the great distances routinely travelled by airplanes. These reflections are borne out by recent items in the press, concerning surveys which have shown lost luggage to be the principal service complaint of airline passengers.
The identification tags presently in use by the airlines are generally made of paper which may be easily torn and detached from the passenger's luggage, thereby destroying the identification. There is thus an obvious need for a better, more reliable baggage label for identifying passenger luggage for airline use which can be produced at low unit cost yet function effectively as a permanent means of identification.
Low-cost luggage tags of one piece construction molded from flexible plastic material have been utilized by the airlines for baggage identification. These tags are generally comprised of an elongated strip of synthetic plastic material having plate and strap portions. The strap is integrally molded with and connects with the plate at one end. The free end of the strap is provided with means for interlocking with an opening of suitable shape on the plate. A label, identifying the airline passenger is adhesively secured to the plate. In attaching the tag to a baggage handle, the strap is bent over the handle and inserted into the plate opening, locking the strap therein and forming a loop which encompasses the handle and is thereby secured thereto.
One disadvantage of luggage tags of the type just described is that there is no way in which to conceal the inscription on the label, and many passengers object to having their identities openly revealed to the public on these tags.
An object of this invention is the provision of a luggage tag of simple economical construction which is molded from plastic and is adapted to be looped around the handle of a piece of luggage or other anchoring means for attachment thereto.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a tag which, when attached to the handle of a piece of luggage, is provided with pocket means whereby an identifying label can be inserted and secured therein without exposing the name of the baggage owner to public scrutiny.
Still further objects of the present invention reside in the provision of a luggage tag that is highly attractive in appearance, that is strong and durable and capable of being inexpensively manufactured out of readily available synthetic plastic materials so as to permit wide use and distribution.
The above stated and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as defining the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the claims appended hereto.